Friday, May 23, 2008

Democrats Should Be More Democratic and Less Sexist

Women have to face these facts:

Froma Harrop writes:

There was unfortunate symbolism in Barack Obama's choice of Des Moines as the place to celebrate his delegate milestone on the day of the Kentucky and Oregon primaries. The Iowa caucuses were the first contest of the nominating process, and Obama's success in them launched his campaign into the big time. But they were also the start of a deeply undemocratic process.

The caucuses produced no vote count. There were no secret ballots — but instead a public two-hour tussle that disenfranchised many parents of small children, shift workers and those who couldn't drive in the dark. Certain caucus-goers enjoyed several times the clout of others — it depended on where they lived. The result was not an election of delegates but of "delegate equivalents," a term with an Orwellian ring.